Unexpected
by scarletsun1
Summary: Hiccup Haddock left five years ago. Astrid Hofferson never wanted kids. But after a tragic event occurs, she stumbles into a bar, unaware that the drunken night will change the rest of her life. AU. Hiccstrid.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! So I just saw How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, but I promise this story won't have any spoilers (except for maybe at the very end). This story starts off around the same time as the second movie, although it is AU. Also, this is my first fanfiction, but I thought I might as well put the AP English skills to work, so please review! Your thoughts (both good and bad) are appreciated :)**

**Summary: **Hiccup Haddock left five years ago. Astrid Hofferson never wanted kids. But after a tragic event occurs, she stumbles into a bar, unaware that the drunken night will change the rest of her life. AU. Hiccstrid.

**Chapter 1**

The ship was ten times the length of theirs, four times as tall, fixed with metal, and built like a fortress. The captain stood at the helm, a horrifyingly large man, even for viking standards, with swarthy, scarred dark skin and black dreadlocks. He smiled cruelly down at each of them, before turning back to the chief with the flaming red beard, who was also being restrained. "Tell me why I should spare your men, Stoick? You know I am no man of mercy."

The red-bearded viking glared back.

"Drago," he spoke evenly, his eyes hard, "you know we mean no harm. We never meant to bother you."

"No, but you are bothering me," Drago sneered, "If you think I will let you live this ti‒"

"Sir," a soldier ran up to the evil man, breathing heavily, "I hate to interrupt, but the Dragon Masters were spotted again, and they've managed to free several of them. It's now or never, sir." The dark man's eyes hardened even more, if that was possible.

"GET THEM!" he bellowed, and his men scrambled away. The man turned back to the chief. "You are lucky I don't consider you a threat. Get you and your men out of my face, NOW!" The Berkians quickly scrambled back to work, preparing to turn their ship away from Drago's and his armada, but not before the scarred man caught sight of the blonde girl. He turned to Stoick. "I change my mind. You give me that pretty girl over there, and I'll let your ship go, no questions asked."

Stoick's eyes hardened as he readied his reply, knowing that it would be his death sentence when Martin Hofferson, who had been standing nearby, frantically stepped between his chief and Drago.

"Please, sir, don't take my daughter. I'll do anything," he pleaded. Drago looked angered before he grinned sinisterly.

"Anything, eh? I like my men to be loyal. Take him!" His men quickly surrounded the blonde viking male, whose daughter had just caught wind of what was happening as her father was directed towards the large, steel-bodied ship.

"No, Dad!" She struggled against the men who held her back, "Let my dad go! Dad!" the blonde man turned back towards his daughter, blue eyes on blue eyes.

"Astrid, take care of your mother. Stay strong, Astrid, I love you," and with that, her father was gone, pushed somewhere below the deck of the massive ship. The female viking warrior stood in shock, before lashing out, kicking and screaming at the men who had stopped her from going after her father before turning her azure blue eyes onto the red-haired chief.

"You," she accused, "You let my father be taken away! He was your friend, one of your men! You always say that a chief protects his own!" At that, the chief, who had remained calm during the ordeal up until the point, stood over the girl, his finger pointing to her chest.

"What would you do, if you were in my position, Astrid? Allow a young viking of your tribe be taken to be raped and used? Allow your entire crew to be sentenced to death by refusing? Or allow a man who volunteered to be taken away?" He stood back and softened before continuing, "Astrid, you are right. Martin doesn't deserve this, and we will get him back, but not until we are back at Berk with more men and a plan, alright?" But he was only met with a glare.

"You said the same thing about finding Hiccup," she said, and he flinched before the sound of a slamming door echoed across the deck.

By nightfall they docked at a port and the tired Berkians walked off the boat to wander for the night and stretch their sea legs, before they would gather supplies and head out in the morning. The men didn't try to stop the blonde as she stormed into town, locating the nearest pub, pushing past drunken men and women before slamming her fist down on the thick wooden counter. The barkeep, a young man about her age with blonde dreadlocks, wordlessly placed a mug of ale in front of her. She downed it and he refilled. "Thanks," she murmured.

"No problem. I'm Tuffnut by the way. I take it you had a bad day?" Normally, Astrid would have spit in his face at the nonchalant way he asked, but the ale was loosening her up.

"Gee, how'd you guess that?" she rolled her eyes.

"Chicken told me," he said seriously, jerking his thumb to the brown chicken on the table that had somehow managed to escape her notice before. Astrid rolled her eyes once more before deciding that she needed more ale, more mead to drown out the events of the day.

Minutes turned to hours later when Tuffnut spoke once more, "What are you having tonight, H?" Astrid looked up at him, wondering how in the world he had managed to figure out her last name before she noticed that someone, a man, was standing beside her stool. She studied him: tall, broad-shouldered, and on the skinnier side, but with defined muscles that could be seen through his deep red-tunic, and unruly auburn hair. Small stubble lined his sharp jaw.

"Just give me the usual, Tuff," an unusually nasal voice spoke from beside her, and she looked towards to voice to see a pair of deep emerald eyes piercing into her blue ones. She blushed, her mind foggy from the ale, before realizing that she was staring and quickly turned away. The table suddenly seemed very interesting.

In her peripheral vision Astrid saw dark amber liquid being poured into a mug, obviously much stronger than her ale. She watched as a rough, calloused hand took hold of the mug and brought it to its owner's lips, which were‒

_Stop it, Astrid_. She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts out of her intoxicated mind, before noticing that his emerald gaze was studying her thoughtfully, boring two holes right through her side. She shivered.

"Had a bad day, milady?" Astrid glanced at him, before taking another swig of her ale.

"It's none of your business," she murmured into her mug, "And don't call me that."

"Well, milady," he chuckled, taking down his drink as well, "to be fair my day hasn't been the greatest either."

Before she realized what she was doing, Astrid's lips were next to his ear, and she could feel his hot breath on her neck, goosebumps raising down her arm. "Bet you mine was way worse," she smirked, her competitive side showing through her drunken state, before leaning back.

"Yeah?" he asked, his nasal voice husky, emerald gaze on her lips, mere inches away from his own.

"Yeah," she whispered, and with that, she closed the distance between them. Instantly, she felt warmth seep through her body from his lips, tingling sensations that traveled through her core all the way to her toes. Her foggy mind vaguely registered being led down a corridor and through a door, his slender yet strong form pulling away for just a second, still holding her close, his nasal yet slightly slurred voice asking her for consent. And she recalled herself nodding, her body already missing his warmth, before she heard the door shut and she let her body take over, warm tingles erasing the troubling events of the day from her mind.

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Huge thanks to those of you who reviewed, followed, or favorited! It really means a lot to me. This chapter is a little bit more on the comical side, but it is still important to the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, to clear up any confusion, this story is NOT Modern AU.**

**Disclaimer (since I forgot last chapter): I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Nope. **

**Chapter 2**

For about two seconds after waking up, Astrid felt peace. Pure, relaxed, well-rested bliss. And then she felt it. A sharp pain that ran from her temples to the nape of her neck, pounding so bad that she may as well just remove the arm that lay across her bare abdomen, grab her axe off the wall and‒

Astrid abruptly sat up on her elbows, ignoring her throbbing headache, and slowly looked around the foreign room, noting that her axe was, in fact, not on her wall, before her eyes landed on the sleeping form to her right.

He slept on his left side, arm splayed protectively around her middle, hair sticking out in all directions, somehow messier that what she could recall from the previous night. The morning light that streamed through the small window fell on the side of his face, revealing light freckles and a pale scar on his chin. There was something about the scar that was familiar to Astrid, but her aching head refused to tell her what. Her eyes traveled lower, revealing his defined bare chest, lean muscle adorning his pale shoulders. She blushed, images of what had transpired coming back to her. When she looked back up, she was met with a stunning forest green gaze.

"How'd you sleep, milady?" He sat up, rolling his shoulders while he looked down at her, lips quirked slightly.

"Great, until I woke up," Astrid mumbled, and he laughed. "Now wipe that stupid smirk off your face before my axe does."

"Okay, jeez, I get it, milady," he raised his arms up to prove his innocence, although he continued to smirk as he got out of the bed and shamelessly scooped his discarded clothes off the floor and threw them on.

"I'll be in the bar with Tuff when you're ready," he spoke over his shoulder as he pulled his tunic down.

"What makes you think that I'll be meeting you once I'm ready?" Astrid questioned, eyebrows raised. This man sure had a lot of nerve to think that _she_ would be following him around like a kicked puppy.

"So your telling me that you didn't storm into the first bar that you saw and you know exactly how to get back to the docks on your own?" he grinned, sarcasm dripping from his tone, "Because‒and correct me if I'm wrong, I mean I was drunk too‒but I do believe you said something about having a bad day?"

"Eurgh! Get out!" He shrugged and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Astrid's face contorted with anger, but she had had nothing to say back to him; he had hit the nail spot on. Out of all the people she could have slept with, _could have lost her virginity to_, it just had to be the most sarcastic, witty, and probably the most attractive man she had ever met. Astrid groaned, slowly rising out of bed. If only she had not left her axe in her cabin, he would have been made a dead man by now.

After getting dressed and re-braiding her hair, which had fallen completely loose sometime during the night, Astrid walked back towards the bar, stopping by the door when she heard voices.

"So, H, Toothless is out back napping, I think I fed him too much fish." Astrid recognized Tuffnut's voice.

"That's fine, Tuff, he deserves a break." She heard him sigh. _Toothless?_ What kind of name was that? Astrid shook her head, choosing not to dwell on it, before walking into the now empty bar. She noted that there was another girl in the room, who looked eerily similar to Tuffnut, with long blonde hair woven into two thick braids and a mischievous smile on her face. Said girl walked over and stuck out her hand.

"Well, well, well. I'm Ruffnut, Tuff's twin sister. Now tell me, how's he in bed?" she gestured to where he was standing, now wearing practical black leather armor, with an amused smirk on his face. Astrid rolled her eyes and ignored Ruffnut's question, looking to him.

"Come on, I got to get going. The ship will be leaving soon." He nodded and they both made their way to the door, but Tuffnut stopped them.

"Woah, woah, woah, _mes amis_. Where do you think you are going?" He looked at her.

"Uh," Astrid started, confused, "back to the ship? My tribe's island is about two days travel away, and they'll want to get moving as soon as possible."

"And you think that you can go without us?" Ruffnut questioned, now standing next to her brother, arms crossed.

"Yes?" Astrid looked between the two, more confused than ever.

"Ruff, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Only if you're thinking what I'm thinking, brother."

"We're coming with you!" They spoke in unison, both turning to look at a slack-jawed Astrid. She shook her head.

"Um, sorry, but don't you guys have to run this place?" she asked, to which they both shook their heads.

"Nah," Tuffnut answered her, "This bar is my cousin, Gruffnut's. Now, it looks like we have a ship to catch, _amigos_!" He turned to his sister and they butted heads, helmets clinking before running out the door. Astrid looked after them before turning back to him, eyes demanding an explanation. He shrugged, green eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I have no explanation for the twins, milady," he grinned, holding the crook of his elbow out for her to take. "Let's get going, shall we?" She glared at him, ignoring the arm, walking out into the sunlight at a rapid pace. He sidled up next to her in no time, though.

"Well, someone is moody," he looked to her, "Do you care to indulge me on what could have possibly made yesterday so horrible for you?" She sneered at him.

"I guess we all have our secrets that we would rather not share," she turned away and they continued walking in silence. Eventually they reached the docks, now extremely busy with all the ships preparing to leave. Astrid visibly softened once her eyes fell on the ship with the Hooligan symbol drawn on the masts, though, with familiar faces boarding the ship, hauling crates and barrels onto the deck. She turned back to him, and after a moment of hesitation, she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Thanks, I guess. For everything." He grinned down at her before she continued, pointing to where the Berkian ship was docked. "This is me," she looked back at him and saw him do a double take at the ship. His eyes hardened, and she nudged his shoulder, catching his attention. "Um, I just realized that I don't even know your name," she told him, and his green eyes darkened even more, if that was possible. He stared at the ship for what seemed like eternity before he spoke again.

"I guess we all have our secrets, milady," he said looking back to her, but with no humor or sarcasm in his voice. And with that, he left the docks, leaving Astrid alone and more than slightly confused as she watched his lanky form retreat.

He watched angrily as the ship sailed away, the Monstrous Nightmare symbol still visible, heading towards the horizon. Standing up from his spot on the ledge of a cliff, he tossed a fish to his Night Fury, to which he was met with an appreciative purr. He glanced towards the dragon.

"Of all the women I could have slept with, why did it have to be her, bud?" he angrily threw another fish in front of his dragon. Really, how had he missed the resemblance? With her long blonde hair and azure blue eyes, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, even obviously drunk. _Thor, stop it_, he told himself. _You got over her years ago. _He shook his head, remembering how he was mistreated, even by her, by Astrid.

Gods, he had slept with Astrid. He had slept with Astrid Hofferson, and he had probably taken her virginity too. He shook his head, unable to get his mind wrapped up around the idea.

_Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had slept with Astrid Hofferson._

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	3. Chapter 3

**I know, I know! I promised I would post early and one day early is not that great, especially after receiving so many kind reviews! *ducks behind chair to avoid flying tomatoes* I'm a terrible human being who let real life get in the way of fanfiction, and I'm so, so sorry! This chapter was supposed to go up on Tuesday, I swear!**

**But seriously, you guys made my week with all of your reviews, follows, and favorites. Thank you all so much.**

**I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. It's a little bit longer and there are some darker themes introduced as well.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the How To Train Your Dragon franchise.**

**Chapter 3**

Astrid secured her axe across her back, the familiar weight immensely comforting. And yet, she could not get stop thinking about _him_. His emerald green eyes, his sarcastic grin, his broad shoulders…

_No, Astrid. He left you without looking back. He doesn't give a shit, _Astrid thought as the memory of his cold departure came back. _It was probably just another night for him_. She shook her head and stormed out of her cabin, only to be met with a large red-bearded man who just so happened to be carrying two now-familiar blondes, one in each hand.

"Astrid," he glowered down at her, "Please explain why your new friends are wreaking havoc on _my_ ship." Astrid looked at the two troublemakers, both of whom were smiling sheepishly. She glared at them.

"Sorry, Stoick," she apologized to her chief, "Just let me have a word with them." She heard the chief sigh and mumble something incoherent before walking away, heavy footfalls making their way back up to the deck. She looked back to the twins, "Really, guys?"

"We're sorry, Astrid," Ruffnut started, "We just can't help it." Her brother nodded. Astrid rolled her eyes. The chief and their crew had not questioned her when she boarded with the twins yesterday, seeming to accept it as a way that she was coping with Drago and her father's capture. They also did not question her the night before, _thank the gods_. If anybody from Berk found out that their Shieldmaiden had slept with a random guy she had met at a bar, Astrid would be more than shamed. But since boarding, the twins had been nothing but a force of destruction aboard the ship, pulling pranks at every possible length.

"Don't let it happen again, guys," she told them sternly and they nodded before taking off. Astrid sighed, knowing that it would happen again, and once again, she wouldn't do anything about it. As annoying as they could be at times, Astrid had developed a liking for them, and they had even "Thorston" swore to never tell anyone about what had happened that night. Astrid walked out to the main deck and immediately felt the familiar cold sting of the air hit her cheeks. Leaning against the bow, she looked out to the horizon, where the sun was now setting. Come morning, the Island of Berk would take its place. Astrid let her mind drift, thinking of home, her mother's smile, and waking up at the crack of dawn to go training. She thought of her father, praying to the gods that he was well. And she thought about _him._ Try as she might, Astrid could not stop thinking about him. There was something in those deep green eyes that left her feeling a sense of belonging, even though she knew that they would most likely never see each other again. But still, Astrid hoped that one day they would.

Hiccup fell back onto his bed, exhausted. There had been a long list of things that needed care in past two days, but Hiccup did not have the have the mentality to do any of it. Images of _her_ flooded his mind constantly. He rubbed his eyes.

"Hiccup, are you alright?" He saw his mother in the doorway, looking concerned. "You haven't been yourself lately."

"I'm fine, Mom," he sat up on the bed. Valka eyed him incredulously, before walking over and taking a seat next to him, giving his knee a gentle squeeze.

"I know it's hard, Hiccup. I spent fifteen years on my own, fighting them, caring for the alpha. But, we must do it for the dragons," she saw his eyes soften before she continued, "We must keep them away from Vikings at all costs." His eyes hardened once more.

"Mom, the reason why you're here, please?" he cocked an eyebrow at his mother. She sighed.

"I did rounds today. Drago has just refilled his cells. We need to go free them in the morning," Valka stood and walked to the door. "Goodnight, son."

There was no reply.

In the morning, Hiccup dressed, quirking a smile when his sleek black dragon, Toothless, covered him in dragon slobber. "At least I have you, bud," he gave the Night Fury a scratch under the chin before he grabbed his sheathed flaming sword and reinforced shield off the wall, heading through the seemingly endless tunnels that led to the main cavern, where his mother and the Bewilderbeast resided. Color and light reflected through the bluish ice, and he blinked rapidly for his eyes to adjust.

He found his mother tending to the younger ones, shadowed by her dragon, Cloudjumper, when she looked up at him. Nodding once, they donned their masks and took off. They rode in silence before his mother spoke.

"Hiccup, remember, we are only freeing the dragons," she slowed to a stop before continuing. "We cannot save the vikings. It's too dangerous." He stopped next to her, angrily.

"You mean too dangerous for the dragons?" he spat, "Haven't you ever thought that maybe they've changed? Don't you think that they deserve more than to be prisoners? For Thor's sake, Mom, I used to live with them! You used to live with them!" He was met with a hard glare.

"And that, is how I know that vikings will never change, they will never accept dragons. It is best to leave it be," she saw him shake his head before continuing, "We only save the dragons, Hiccup. Do not try to free the vikings. It is not only dangerous for the dragons, but it is also dangerous for us." And with that, she sped ahead before Drago's fleet came into view and they separated. Working from the exterior ships inward, Hiccup would start in the east and his mother in the west.

Flying low and in the shadows, Hiccup inspected the ships' positions, resisting the urge to blast everything in sight and making note of every possible escape route, should things go awry. Finally, he found the ship he was looking for. Longer than the rest, reinforced with steel, large enough to hold hundreds of dragons and prisoners. His green eyes narrowed as he stealthily circled the ship, waiting for the right moment. On his second revolution, he saw a guard runoff urgently, and Hiccup wasted no time. In less than a second, he was below the deck, his night fury close behind, scouring the ship for the imprisoned dragons.

Two flights down and Hiccup smelled it: the foul stench of dragon waste, viking waste, vomit, blood, and death. Even through his mask, it reeked. He walked to the end of the corridor, with a door on the left and a door on the right. He waited a few seconds before he heard it: screams of agony and torture coming from the right, before he heard laughter and heavy footsteps approaching from behind.

Backing himself against the wall he watched as the two guards approached, oblivious. He gripped his sword.

"Heard we got ourselves a new one. Blonde, and he volunteered," the guard smirked, "Just wait until we beat the Valhalla out of him; he'll be wishing that he had just let his pretty girl aboard‒"

There was the distinct clang of metal meeting metal before two guards fell face-forward onto the floor, the back of their shirts on fire. Hiccup stomped on the flames, putting them out before sheathing his sword. He reached down and fished through their pockets, pulling out a brass key, then inserted it into the keyhole, slowly turning until he heard a click. Making sure nobody else was around, the dragon rider slipped through the door, leaving his dragon in the corridor to keep watch.

Immediately, he felt bile rise in his throat, as the stench flooded his nose. There were blood stains everywhere, dragon and human. To the left, cells only suitable for one dragon were crammed with four, all too weak to even open their eyes. They would be dead before he even pulled them out of their cell. Shaking his head, Hiccup looked to the right, only to be met with a similar sight. The cells were filled with prisoners, with vikings who once weighed three hundred pounds but now weighed less than him. Starved, bloodied, and beaten. Some with insanity in apparent in their eyes. Some were dead, their bodies rotting in the cells, left to wither alongside the piles of human bones. Hiccup averted his eyes, his mother's voice echoing through his head, telling him that there was nothing left to save. He turned on his heel, ready to walk away and face the nightmares, before a blonde beard and a deep raspy voice caught his attention.

"Dragon Master, help, _please,_" the blonde viking, about his father's age and vaguely familiar, said, his voice giving away his fear. But Hiccup could also make out strength and determination in his voice as well. He walked in front of the cell.

"Why are you here?" his green eyes looked into the man's blue ones, noticing that while the older viking was obviously horrified and not extremely healthy, physically he had not faced too much harm.

"My daughter, he, Drago, wanted to take her as the price of letting the rest of our crew go. But I couldn't let that happen, you see, she's only twenty years old. I guess he's trying to teach me a lesson now," the man said bitterly, glancing back at the bones and near dead bodies behind him. Hiccup's brows furrowed.

"What's your name, sir?" he asked, the urge to help the man winning over his mother's words.

"Martin Hofferson of Berk, Dragon Master," the blonde said, blue eyes rising, posture straightening, proud. Hiccup's green eyes widened as he noted the color of the man's eyes, the very same blue as his daughter's. He took a step back.

"Did you just say 'Hofferson of Berk'?" he asked, hearing the shock apparent in his voice. The blonde grasped the bars, pulling himself up, now the same height as the Dragon Master.

"Yes, indeed," he said, watching as the young man, probably around his daughter's age, reached up and tugged his mask off, revealing messy auburn hair and intense green eyes. "Impossible, you're dead," his blue eyes widened as he saw the young man smirk.

"Nope. But you, Mr. Hofferson, are going home."

**Yup, that happened. **

**So, I have most of the story mapped out, but there are still some gaps to fill. If you guys have any suggestions or scenes you would like to see, just tell me below! This story is for you guys after all :)**


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